Letters

Freeze UK military aid to Colombia

We write to endorse the call from Colombian civil society to freeze UK military aid to Colombia. The appeal, made in a recent letter to the prime minister, also has the support of the majority of Labour MPs. Colombia is the most dangerous place to be a trade unionist in the world. In the last 15 years, more than 3,500 have been assassinated - virtually all murdered by the Colombian military or army-backed paramilitary death squads.

We are concerned that the UK government refuses to disclose the total value of its aid to the Colombian military or where it goes. Without knowing which military units the assistance goes to, we cannot be sure that it is not reaching units implicated in human rights violations.

Taxpayers' money could be used more effectively to improve the situation in Colombia by diverting it away from secret military aid and into social and economic development.